In late March, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) posted the Construction Inflation Alert, a document to inform project owners, government officials, and the public about the extreme cost increases and supply-chain disruptions affecting construction. Since then, price increases have intensified and spread to additional materials, while lead times for both production and deliveries have lengthened. Thus, the need for an updated document.
Although the overall economy has strengthened significantly in the past few months and appears to be headed for further growth, the construction industry has experienced a much more uneven recovery. Lagging demand for numerous types of nonresidential construction is keeping many contractors from passing on their added costs. This combination of steeply rising costs and nearly stable bid prices threatens to push some firms out of business and keep the industryʼs unemployment rate unacceptably high.
This report is intended to provide all parties with better understanding of the current situation, the impact on construction firms and projects, its likely course in the next several months, and possible steps to mitigate the damage. The document will be revised to keep it timely as conditions change. Please send comments and feedback to AGC of America’s chief economist, Ken Simonson, ken.simonson@agc.org.